MANILA, Philippines - Energy Secretary Rene Almendras said on Tuesday he was not aware of reports he would be replacing Executive Secretary Paquito "Jojo" Ochoa.

In a text message to ABS-CBN, Almendras said: "I am not aware of such or any plans in that direction. My responsibility and commitment is to the energy sector and I am just doing my job as Energy Secretary."

He even chided, "I am E.S., the Energy Secretary," making reference to the initials he shares with Ochoa's position.

Ochoa's fitness to be executive secretary, also known as the "Little President," has been doubted as one blunder was committed after another.

For example, the first memorandum issued by the Office of the President on the first day after assuming office had to be revised since it caused confusion. The first draft affected all non-career officials in government when the intention was to require only the political appointees to vacate their positions.

This and other blunders prompted Senator Joker Arroyo to openly criticize Aquino's close aides as "inadequate," and "a burden." Sen. Arroyo, who was the executive secretary of the late former President Corazon Aquino, Mr. Aquino's mother, also likened how the Aquino administration is running national affairs to a student council.

At the height of the bus hostage-taking that ended in 9 dead Chinese tourists last August, Ochoa, a long-time shooting buddy of President Aquino, has also been criticized for reportedly preferring to spend time with actress Vina Morales instead of joining his Palace colleagues during a crucial event that potentially had economic and diplomatic implications.

Ochoa, a former city administrator, had asked that he be given a chance to do better as executive secretary. He had acknowledged during in an interview with ABS-CBN's Anthony Taberna the demands of his job. "Walalang panahon para mag-practice," he noted.

Against these issues, Energy Secretary Almendras' private sector background--president of internationally acclaimed Manila Water Co., and treasurer of Aboitiz & Co., and Aboitiz Equity Ventures--seems to have to prepared him to handle the energy portfolio.

Investigators from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Manila have already started conducting an inventory of all taxi franchises illegally issued by the LTFRB-7 officials since 2003, but said they will not reveal any findings until they finish on Friday.

"Upon the advice of the audit team leader, we will refrain from issuing any statements at the moment. The official results of their audit and their recommendations will be released Friday," said LTFRB-7 regional director Benjamin Go.

The team of investigators headed by Nida Quibic, the head of the LTFRB Management and Information Division, was sent here to audit all taxi franchises to find out how many franchises were issued despite the moratorium.

Quibic, together with Lilia Coloma and Leah Rojas of the LTFRB Manila technical and legal divisions, respectively, will be here until Thursday to do the inventory. Go said the team cannot finish the audit in three days.

"Three days is too short to audit LTFRB-7. If we compare it with the 30 days it took to audit the much smaller LTFRB office in Baguio City before, I only hope that the audit team can cover as much as possible," Go said.

He believes that the results of the audit will confirm his earlier announcement that his predecessors managed to issue hundreds of taxi franchises even if the issuance of franchises was already suspended.

Go said the results may not be very encouraging, but he will accept whatever little help he can get.

After Go assumed his post last March 26 he asked the top LTFRB officials in Manila and the Department of Transportation and Communications to conduct an inventory of all taxi franchises issued by the LTFRB-7.

This after he found out that from 4,000 taxi franchises in Metro Cebu in 2003 the statistics went up to 6,000 because the former LTFRB-7 directors defied the moratorium order.

Go also accused some hearing officers of LTFRB-7 of violating the moratorium order issued by the national office.

Although Tancinco has been recommended by Cebu City South district Rep. Tomas R. Osmeña as the assistant regional director of the LTO in Central Visayas, Tancinco said he is ready to accept the post offered to him by the president.

Tancinco was ordered to report to Eastern Visayas-LTO regional office to assume the post to be vacated by assistant regional director Dennis Singson who was promoted as regional director replacing Alex Leyson.

Leyson was not reappointed to his post. He is a resident of Barangay Talamban, Cebu City, and used to be the regional director of LTO-7.

The latest revamp also affected LTO-7 Regional Director Raul Aguilos who was promoted to the rank of Director III, but was also reassigned to the Department of Transportation and Communication in Manila.

The omnibus order issued by Malacañang designated Region 4A LTO assistant regional director Felix Lopez to be the top LTO official in Central Visayas, but Aguilos said he will ask for a reconsideration of the order.

LTO-7 assistant regional director Edgar Catarongan was retained to his post, although he was recommended by Osmeña to replace Aguilos.

Aguilos explained that although they have already took their oath of office of their new appointments before DOTC Secretary Jose de Jesus, but they can still ask for reconsideration.

Cebu City Police Office director Ramon Melvin Buenafe found himself on a hot seat before the members of the city council yesterday when he appeared to defend the P2 million budget he requested for the repair of the CCPO headquarters.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia was slighted by the Commission on Audit report that at least P14 million Philhealth Capitation Fund was left unutilized by the provincial government of Cebu in 2009.

The amount is intended for the poor constituents of the province that were enrolled in the Philhealth-sponsored program.

"I feel personally offended with this castigation of the provincial government for not having spent P14 million which may result into the deprivation in the delivery of health services," Garcia told reporters.

Garcia described the comments of COA on the unspent fund as misplaced. She said that the amount was not spent in 2009 principally due to administrative constraints.

According to Garcia, Municipal Health Officers decided to defer spending the amount until it accumulates to a larger amount enough to fund a higher impact project.

Garcia said it was not true that the poor constituents have been deprived of the health and medical services because their needs have been taken care of from the regular allocation of the province.

In fact, Garcia said the province spent nearly half a billion pesos for health services in 2009.

"Baseless and unfair therefore for COA to gratuitously conclude that the failure to spend the P14 million deprived out constituents of essential health and medical services," Garcia said.

For 2010, the province allocated P581 million and in the proposed 2011 annual budget, it has allocated over P800 million.

"If we are talking health services, excuse me, what health services that are being deprived, what are we talking about," Garcia said.

Garcia said that the province is taking care of the health services from cradle, from children to senior citizens programs.

"And we have deprived the province of vital health services because P14 million was not spent?," she asked.

The fund can be utilized by the local government units to fund higher impact projects to augment and supplement the regular services, said Garcia.

The province has enough resources to appropriate more than half a billion for social and health services.

"We are indeed effectively delivering this health services to our constituents contrary to the perception of COA. Their conclusion seems to be that it is precisely only the capitation fund that is the heart and soul, the meat and the essence of the delivery of the health services," Garcia said.

Garcia met some COA officials yesterday but they were reportedly quick to tell the governor that they do not know about the report done by other state auditors.

This prompted Garcia to tell COA officials to revisit their attitudes and policies especially its "inconsistencies" and "attitude towards public officials."

Less than 24 hours after the House of Representatives approved on Monday the 2011 budget as proposed by the Aquino administration, three senators said they want to slash the P21-billion allotment for the conditional cash transfer program.

Malacanang on Tuesday thanked its allies in the House of Representatives for approving on Monday night the proposed P1.645 trillion budget for next year. The budget was approved despite protest by lawmakers from party-lists and the minority bloc.

The blame game surrounding the delay in last month's conduct of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) elections in some areas continued Tuesday during a hearing at the House of Representatives.

The opposition camp in Talisay City may field businessman and incoming captain of barangay Pooc Dory Emit in the race for the presidency of the Association of Barangay Councils, and may possibly run against reelected barangay Tabunok chief Maning Cabriana.

President Benigno Aquino will lead the naming and ceremonial delivery Wednesday of the largest ship built in the Philippines, the "Tenshu Maru," made by Cebu-based shipbuilder Tsuneishi Heavy Industries.

MANILA, Philippines - Alpha Phi Omega (APO) national president Mel Adriano is challenging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to name and file criminal cases against APO members allegedly behind the Bar exams blast.

MANILA, Philippines - Alpha Phi Omega (APO) fratmen were behind two previous grenade-throwing incidents in Metro Manila: one in La Consolacion College on March 2008 that left 22 people injured and another in Perpetual College Las Pinas in March this year, which left at least 14 injured.

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine congressmen on Tuesday urged Catholic bishops to refrain from name-calling and stick to facts as the battle to pass a reproductive health (RH) law heats up in Congress.

MANILA, Philippines - Britain's embassy in Manila on Tuesday appealed for information to help find a businesswoman who disappeared two months ago during a business trip to the Philippines.

Carole Day, a strawberry-blonde 56-year-old and a frequent visitor to the country, was last seen on September 12, by an acquaintance at a shop in Manila's Makati financial district, the mission said in a public appeal.

The Hong Kong-based woman's family is offering a reward for information leading to her return, the embassy said.

"According to Philippine Immigration, Carole has not left the Philippines," it said.

Day, who runs a furniture and interior decoration business in the central city of Cebu, was to have flown from Cebu to the Phuket resort in Thailand on September 12, but did not arrive and has been out of contact since.

She was due in Hong Kong on September 15 for a number of important events, including a close friend's funeral, it added.

"Any details, (it does) not matter how seemingly trivial, will be greatly appreciated. We would be very grateful if you could spread the news and help us do everything we can to find her," it quoted her son, Jai Day, as saying.

MANILA, Philippines - As investigation and validation of the deposit accounts in 12 Legacy Group rural banks near completion, the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation said it has already shelled out a total of P11 billion to depositors as of October 2010.

MANILA, Philippines - Lawmakers will have to shoulder some of the blame on the high salaries and allowances of executives of state firms, according to one official of the Department of Budget and Management.

DBM Compensation Division Director Mary Grace Chua said the Senate and Lower House exempted some 27 state firms from coverage of Republic Act 6758, otherwise known as the Salary Standardization Law.

Chua said approval of Joint Resolutions 1 and 4 paved the way for the state firms to prepare their own compensation and allowance packages.

The 27 firms exempted from the Salary Standardization Law are:

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP),

Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA),

Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP),

Credit Information Corporation (CIC),

Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP),

Duty Free Philippines,

Government Service Insurance System (GSIS),

Social Security System (SSS),

Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG),

Home Development Corporation,

Landbank of the Philippines,

Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA),

Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS),

National Power Corporation (Napocor),

National Transmission Corporation (TRANSCO),

NBN-4

Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR),

Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC),

Philippine Export Zone Authority (PEZA),

Philippine Home Insurance Corporation (PHIC),

Philippine Postal Corporation (PPC),

Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (PSALM),

Small Business Guarantee and Finance Corporation (SBGFC),

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA),

Tourism Promotion Board,

Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, and

Trade and Investment Development Corporation.

Lawmakers from both the House and Senate had called officials of these companies to separate hearings in both chambers.

Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay and Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez expressed displeasure that some of the summoned executives could not appear before the hearing.

Rodriguez now wants DBP COO Edgardo Garcia to be subpoenaed after he failed to show up during Tuesday's inquiry to explain his P5.9 million monthly salary and allowances. The secretariat explained Garcia had sent word he has several engagements as COO of the company.

Magsaysay, meanwhile, grilled MWSS Administrator Macra Cruz on how they can regulate water concessionaires Maynilad and Manila Water when the concession fees these 2 companies pay fund the big allowances they enjoy. She cited in particular Cruz's signing of an extension of the concession of the companies over a project in the Angat Dam.

The lawmaker said that when Cruz signed the extensions, company presidents Rogelio Singson and Rene Almendras had already joined the Aquino Cabinet as secretaries for the Department of Public Works and Highways and Department of Energy.

Cruz said she withdrew her signature from the extension. She also said that the concession fees are paid to the corporate arm of the MWSS, which is separate from the regulatory arm of the MWSS.

Rodriguez has filed House Bill 2653 seeking to cap the salaries and allowances of state firm executives within a salary scale. A counterpart bill has also been proposed by Sen. Franklin Drilon in the Upper House.

In 2008, the SBMA posted losses of P2.5 billion while the BCDA had 613M worth of losses, prompting lawmakers to question if the performance of the companies are being reviewed by the Department of Finance.

MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Customs has cited the continued appreciation of the peso against the US dollar as the main reason why it will likely miss its fourth-quarter collection target this year.

The Philippines remained one of the world's biggest recipients of remittances in 2010 and is seen to witness a further surge in money from Filipino migrant workers in the next two years, according to the latest "Migration and Remittances Factbook" by the World Bank.

MAE SOT, Thailand - About 20,000 people fled from Myanmar into Thailand to escape fighting between government troops and ethnic rebels following the military-ruled nation's first vote in 20 years, Thai officials said Tuesday.

YANGON—The Myanmar military's political proxy claimed an overwhelming victory Tuesday in an election condemned as a sham by the West, as fresh fighting erupted between ethnic rebels and government forces.

After two years of waiting, Indonesians are finally getting the chance to welcome back their adopted son. But the euphoria that swept the predominantly Muslim country after Barack Obama's election victory has been replaced by a dose of reality.

Seven-division world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, who is also a member of the Lower House representing Sarangani province, has offered to pay for the accommodations and ringside tickets for any of his colleagues who will watch his bout with Mexican boxer Antonio Margarito on Sunday.

Dirk Nowitzki changed his look and that changed his luck. Nowitzki scored 25 points, including the go-ahead jumper with less than 20 seconds to play, and the Dallas Mavericks snapped Boston's five-game winning streak with a 89-87 victory over the Celtics on Monday night. Jason Terry added 17 points, and Tyson Chandler had 12 points and 13 rebounds for Dallas.

New season. New coach. New venue. Same old result: The Atlanta Hawks still can't beat the Orlando Magic. Dwight Howard had 27 points and 11 rebounds, and the Magic extended their recent reign over the Hawks with a 93-89 victory Monday night in a rematch of last season's lopsided Eastern Conference semifinal.

After a tough first few quarters, Derrick Rose came through for the Chicago Bulls. Rose scored 18 points, including eight during a furious fourth quarter rally, to help the Bulls beat the Denver Nuggets 94-92 on Monday night. "Derrick struggled a lot," said Bulls forward Luol Deng, who added 17 points.

From Manu Ginobili to Tony Parker to DeJuan Blair and numerous others, the San Antonio Spurs have made a habit of turning overlooked players into major contributors. Gary Neal may be next in line. The surprising rookie hit five of seven 3-pointers and scored 15 points in Monday night's 95-91 victory over the reeling Charlotte Bobcats.

Zach Randolph isn't the tallest guy on the floor and can't jump the highest, yet he's one of the top rebounders in the league. Randolph had 23 points and 20 rebounds while Rudy Gay added 22 points to help the Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Phoenix Suns 109-99 on Monday night. "I think it's positioning," the 6-foot-9 Randolph said of his rebounding strategy.

Stephen Curry tossed aside a restrictive ankle brace, then ran right through the Toronto Raptors. Curry scored a season-high 34 points, Monta Ellis added 28 points and the Golden State Warriors beat the Toronto Raptors 109-102 Monday night. Ellis, the NBA's leading scorer, was taken for X-rays on his lower back after falling heavily under Toronto's basket late in the fourth quarter.

MANILA, Philippines – An official of ABS-CBN Star Magic on Tuesday brushed off rumors that its wards, Bea Alonzo and Gerald Anderson, who are romantically linked to each other, have already called it quits.

Following the tradition of many other activist singers who write, sing, as well as put into practice their protest songs, Filipino folk musician and poet Jesus Manuel "Jess" Santiago defied authorities by sending a video message to anti-globalization activists gathered this week in Seoul, South Korea to challenge participants of a global summit.

Plagiarism has no place in the practice of law. Thus said the De La Salle University (DLSU) College of Law as it joined two big associations of private schools in asking the Supreme Court to reverse its ruling that absolved Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo from allegations he plagiarized portions of his earlier rulings on World War II comfort women.